Those who showed hostility towards my nude performance were those who never watched it:Mallika Taneja

Not everyone could digest it when reports were out about a theatre performance that started out with a nude artist, at Sacred Hearts College, Thevara, recently. People expressed both amazement and disgust, especially on social media, about the play which attempted to address the oft-heard argument that harassment of women is linked to the clothes they wear.However, artiste Mallika Taneja, who staged the feminist satire show, titled Thoda Dhyaan Se, has a different story to tell.
“I received a very warm and positive response at SH College. I was overwhelmed by how open minded the students and faculty were... how actively they engaged in a conversation about and around the show,” she says. Many students apparently discussed their thoughts about the topic with her freely and even the faculty had many responses and observations that they shared very openly, she reveals.
“I had earlier performed at the beginning of 2016 at ITFoK (International Theatre Festival of Kerala) in Thrissur. I find the audience in Kerala very receptive to art. And new conversations,” she says. The artiste admits that not everyone agrees with what is shown and how it is being shown. “But tolerance is when an audience gives you the space to say what you want to and engages with it in spite of, and sometimes because, of their differences. Kerala has been very important for me in my journey with Thoda Dhyaan Se. It gave me two stages to perform in one year... and a very open-hearted audience,” she says.
Ask Mallika what led to the creation of her performance, which was put together a few years ago, and she says, “I have answered this question so many times and often wonder... isn’t it obvious why we need a play that speaks for a woman’s right to freedom, equality, safety and everything else that comes with it? There were incidents that gave birth to the play... but what is important is that three years on, there are incidents and conditions that keep it relevant still. And unfortunately it is going to remain relevant for many, many more years. We all know why it has been put together. We all know the situation of women in this country. Don’t we?”
She recalls the first time she staged Thoda Dhyan Se. “The first time I performed this play was when I realised that I too had a voice which could say something much larger. I could make a difference. Maybe stir a conversation? Under the nervousness was a burning desire to succeed. I must say this desire is still there... every time I go on stage... I want to succeed. Not just as an actor, but as part of an act that might be able to move things a little. Even if very little.”
Over time, she has also tweaked the play a few times. “The play has become much longer. It has grown with the different stages it has been through and the various things audiences have said in response and suggestions,” the artiste explains.
Did she ever face hostility from the audience? “Never, ever! There have been disagreements. But no hostility. Hostility has always come from those who haven’t watched the play.”
Speaking about why she took to theatre in the first place, Mallika says “I think theatre took to me, not the other way round. I never thought of it as a choice. That’s the only thing I ever wanted to be part of, too.” She also informs that she is working on a new play with actor-collaborator Shubham and is also devoting time to run her organisation, that takes art to different neighbourhoods of Delhi.